What knowledge is and the way in which it is legitimized evolves throughout history. The sociology of knowledge focuses on what knowledge is and where it comes from. Because knowledge is historically relative, what it is and where it comes from changes over time. This is one of the essays on the sociology of knowledge in which I will examine how knowledge is legitimized within the university in modernity and postmodernity, and draw on sociological imaginations of modernity. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Modernity is often considered to begin in the late 18th century and last until the early 19th century. It is normal to think of modernity as a time and a place, but it can also be seen as a set of ideas. In modernity, industrialization created a division of labor and created a more capitalist society where production was for the market. Urbanization also created more cramped living conditions and led to a change in the way people interacted with each other. Society has adopted a new system of values ​​in which individual freedom has become important, this is what is often called liberalism. In modernity, the university has become the main place of knowledge production. The modern university had distinct departments and disciplines, and the common idea was that scientific knowledge was the best knowledge. The goal of scientists was to discover the truth and they believed that knowledge made life better. The widespread idea in modernity was that knowledge was a linear line, that we acquired more and more, and the more we had, the better. Postmodernity is considered the second half of the 20th century. The ideas of liberalism and individual freedom were now strengthened and people began to free themselves from the burden of tradition. The idea that progress was predictable and linear was now being challenged. Instead of trying to control nature, concerns turned to the consequences that modernity and industrialization had on nature and the risks they had created. In postmodernity, the importance of truth and progress has been replaced by skepticism and relativism. Instead of focusing so much on progress and knowledge as a linear line, people began to look backwards and produce knowledge about what already existed. The idea that scientific knowledge was the best knowledge was now being challenged and disciplines such as humanity and the arts were becoming more important. Other new departments and disciplines also developed within the university and were considered more important. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay In this essay I have examined how knowledge is legitimized within the university in modernity and post-modernity. Modernists and postmodernists had a different way of looking at knowledge. For modernists, the emphasis was on progress and how to acquire more knowledge. The idea was that knowledge made life better and that scientific knowledge was the best knowledge. In postmodernity, humanity and the social sciences are among the disciplines that have gained importance, and the..